More than 740 businesses in the Bath area have received urgent support grants from Bath & North East Somerset Council totalling £11m to help them stave off the impact of the coronavirus crisis. The council’s Invest in Bath business support team worked throughout the Easter weekend to continue processing applications for the central government-funded...
More than 40,000 businesses have sought advice and guidance on how they can survive the coronavirus pandemic from a special service set up by Business West, the organisation behind Bath Chamber of Commerce. Trading Through Coronavirus, which went live exactly a month ago, provides expert information and guidance to businesses as well as capturing...
The University of Bath has stepped up efforts to use its world-class expertise in helping tackle the spread of coronavirus with its rapid-response project now involving scientists, engineers and academics across a range of disciplines. The university is leading on a major project aiming to find effective treatments for patients with Covid-19 ahead of...
As the city’s leading independent online business news provider, Bath Business News is stepping up during these challenging times to ensure that Bath remains a successful, innovative and forward-looking business hub. Next week we will launch the Bath Business News Coronavirus Knowledge Hub, a unique source of essential news, information and advice as the...
A top accountant is warning Bath firms hit by the coronavirus crisis not to rush into seeking financial help through the government’s newly-amended package of business support. Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced changes to the measures yesterday amid widespread criticism that they were not assisting enough businesses and that some banks were putting too many...
Three-quarters of South West firms were hit by the coronavirus pandemic in the first two weeks of March, according to a new survey which also shows the outbreak has triggered a marked fall in businesses confidence in the region. Lloyds Bank’s Business Barometer – a monthly survey of more than 1,000 companies carried out...
The latest moves by the government to support businesses, including relaxing the insolvency laws and removing some red tape, have been given the thumbs up by the region’s largest business organisation. Business West described the measures, announced by Business Secretary Alok Sharma on Friday evening, as sensible steps that would help protect companies weakened...
The UK government’s reaction to the coronavirus pandemic and its financial support for businesses has been ramping up daily. But Jon Miles, tax director of Bath-based chartered accountancy firm Richardson Swift, says that while the headlines may seem clear cut, the detail of how to claim any assistance is still to be released in...
In these challenging times, it’s sad to learn that cyber criminals are only increasing their activity as they look to capitalise on the Covid-19 crisis, writes Isabel Thompson, commercial director at cyber security and resilience firm Warner McCall Resilience. With the NCSC (National Cyber Security Centre) issuing warnings of such activity on a daily...
Business organisations have backed government help outlined last night to support the self-employed and sole traders affected by coronavirus, describing them as a lifeline for around 5m people. The measures announced by Chancellor Rishi Sunak, pictured below, provide a grant worth 80% of profits up to a cap of £2,500 a month and are targeted...
